The Just Security Podcast
Special Counsel Jack Smith’s Final Report in the 2020 Election Interference Case
Jan 15, 2025
Tom Joscelyn, a Senior Fellow at Just Security, and Marty Lederman, Professor at Georgetown University and former Justice Department official, dive deep into Special Counsel Jack Smith's final report on the 2020 election interference. They discuss the implications of the report, concluding it could lead to a criminal conviction post-election but reveals little new information on January 6. The pair also highlight concerns about political accountability, the normalization of misconduct, and the ongoing challenges of restoring integrity in American politics.
39:37
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Quick takeaways
- The report indicates that Trump's criminal efforts to overturn the 2020 election, despite lacking evidence, raise serious concerns about his fitness for office.
- The normalization of Trump's unprecedented actions highlights the dangerous acceptance of formerly unacceptable conduct within the political establishment.
Deep dives
Consequences of Trump's Actions
The report concludes that President-elect Donald Trump engaged in several criminal efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, despite a lack of credible evidence for his claims of fraud. It outlines his attempts to pressure state officials to ignore the true vote counts and to create false slates of electors from the states he lost. Furthermore, it details how he urged the Department of Justice officials and even his own vice president to act contrary to their oaths for his personal benefit. These actions culminated in the events of January 6, where he directed a mob toward the Capitol to obstruct the certification of the election results.
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